Standing in Another Man’s Grave by Ian Rankin

Rebus is back!

The brand-new crime novel from number-one bestselling author Ian Rankin.

It’s twenty-five years since John Rebus appeared on the scene, and five years since he retired. But 2012 sees his return in STANDING IN ANOTHER MAN’S GRAVE. Not only is Rebus as stubborn and anarchic as ever, but he finds himself in trouble with Rankin’s latest creation, Malcolm Fox of Edinburgh’s internal affairs unit.

Available in BLRC: F RAN

Two Brothers by Ben Elton

Two Brothersis a heartrending story of two boys growing up under the darkening shadow of the Nazis. Born in Berlin in 1920 and raised by the same parents, one boy is Jewish, his adopted brother is Aryan. At first, their origins are irrelevant. But as the political landscape changes they are forced to make decisions with horrifying consequences.

 

Link to Richard Glover interviewing Ben Elton

 Available in BLRC: F ELT

 

The Bat by Jo Nesbo

The thrilling first book in the bestselling Harry Hole series, never before published in English

HARRY IS OUT OF HIS DEPTH.
Detective Harry Hole is meant to keep out of trouble. A young Norwegian girl taking a gap year in Sydney has been murdered, and Harry has been sent to Australia to assist in any way he can.
HE’S NOT SUPPOSED TO GET TOO INVOLVED.
When the team unearths a string of unsolved murders and disappearances, nothing will stop Harry from finding out the truth. The hunt for a serial killer is on, but the murderer will talk only to Harry.
HE MIGHT JUST BE THE Next VICTIM.
Appearing in English for the first time, The Bat is the legendary first novel from the worldwide phenomenon Jo Nesbo.

Available in BLRC: F NES

Tom Wills First wild man of Australian sport by Greg de Moore

The flamboyant, charming and brilliant Tom Wills was Australia’s first superstar sportsman.

Tom grew up in the bush and was sent to the famous Rugby school in the UK in the 1850s.He became captain of their cricket team, and eventually a star of the game in Victorian England.

Back in Australia Tom sat with some friends in a Melbourne pub, and came up with a game designed to keep cricket players fit in the off season: Australian Rules football.

Tragically Tom’s downfall was shocking and his death horribly gruesome.

Greg tells the story of Tom’s quite amazing life in his book Tom Wills: First Wild Man of Australian Sport

http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2012/04/24/3487841.htm

The Dinner by Herman Koch

Short-listed, Specsavers National Book Awards, International Author of the Year, United Kingdom, 2012

Paul Lohman and his wife Claire are going out to dinner with Paul’s brother Serge, a charismatic and ambitious politician, and his wife Babette. Paul knows the evening will not be fun. The restaurant will be over-priced and pretentious, the head waiter will bore on about the organically certified free-range this and artisan-fed that, and almost everything about Serge, especially his success, will infuriate Paul.

But as the evening wears on it becomes clear that tonight’s dinner will be even more difficult than usual. There is something the two couples have to discuss. It’s about their teenage sons and the very bad things they have been doing.

And it’s about how far two sets of parents will go to save their children from the consequences of their actions.

Available to BLRC: F KOC
Listen to Herman’s interviews on ABC Radio National Books and Arts Daily or 4BC News Talk.

Notes from an Exhibition by Patrick Gale

Haunting. What starts as a story about a Bipolar artist becomes much more than a simple tale of adversity. Moving backward and forward in time, revealing snippets of the past via the exhibit notes from the artist’s post-humous exhibition, this story sucks you in and leaves you unable to walk away without knowing more. You find yourself learning more from what is left unsaid than from what is on the page.

With Cornwall as a backdrop, the narrative touches on mental illness, family, love, religion, sexuality and hope – but without any of them ever being heavy-handed or overdone. The empathy I felt for the characters and the realism with which they were written left me certain that there was no one to blame for the sadness, and evryone, no matter how damaged, responsible for the fragile happiness.

Not a book to be read when feeling low, the ultimate message is beautiful but costly.

Available in BLRC: F GAL

Foal’s Bread by Gillian Mears

 

The long-awaited new novel from the award-winning author of The Grass Sister tells the story of two generations of the Nancarrow family and the high-jumping horse circuit prior to the Second World War. A love story of impossible beauty and sadness, it is also a chronicle of dreams ‘turned inside out’, and miracles that never last, framed against a world both tender and unspeakably hard.

Available in BLRC: F MEA

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall

An epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt?
 
Isolated by Mexico’s deadly Copper Canyons, the blissful Tarahumara Indians have honed the ability to run hundreds of miles without rest or injury. In a riveting narrative, award-winning journalist and often-injured runner Christopher McDougall sets out to discover their secrets. In the process, he takes his readers from science labs at Harvard to the sun-baked valleys and freezing peaks across North America, where ever-growing numbers of ultra-runners are pushing their bodies to the limit, and, finally, to a climactic race in the Copper Canyons that pits America’s best ultra-runners against the tribe. McDougall’s incredible story will not only engage your mind but inspire your body when you realize that you, indeed all of us, were born to run.
 
Available in BLRC: NF 796.425 MCD
 
 

Gold by Chris Cleave

Gold is set in London in the lead up to the 2012 Olympics. This is a novel about sport, but concentrates on the rivalry and friendship of three elite cyclists and their struggles towards the ultimate prize.  The storyline ducks and weaves, but the characters drive the narrative. You will fall for the 8 year old Star Wars obsessed Sophie;  the focussed, fault ridden Zoe (who I wanted to hug and then slap in quick time); Kate is a self-sacrificing, methodical and naturally talented athlete and Jack  is pushed and pulled between these two strong women. Cleave’s research is evident and the hard-work, torturous training and pressure of elite racing drips off the page.

Available in BLRC: F CLE

Extreme South by James Castrission

In the footsteps of Scott and Amundsen, two Aussies, Cas and Jonesy, set out to conquer the last great wilderness on earth. This is their story of tenacity, mateship and survival.

On 31 October 2011 James Castrission and Justin Jones set out to achieve ‘one of the last great polar adventures’ – an unsupported return journey from the edge of the Antarctic continent to the South Pole. This is a quest that has been attempted by many experienced polar explorers before them…and all have failed. This book will detail everything: the preparation, the setbacks, the outset, the highs and the lows in brutally honest detail.

This expedition is the modern-day equivalent of the exploits of Scott, Amundsen and Shackleton. They are man-hauling a pulk (with 200kg of provisions each) and will utilise prevailing wind with kites where possible.

Why they are doing this? Through realising a childhood dream and committing themselves to a groundbreaking expedition, they wish to inspire others to overcome fear and pursue their own adventures and dreams.

Available in BLRC: NF 919.8904 CAS